Background
Strokes are a major cause of death, and up to 50% of stroke patients experience lasting neurological deficits such as sensory loss, hemiparesis, hemianopsia and cognitive deficits. At present, only tissue plasminogen activator is regarded as an effective drug, attenuating the severity of brain damage in the management of acute ischemic strokes. However, its application is strictly limited owing to severe side effects, including hemorrhagic cerebral infarction. Thus, a novel therapeutic strategy is now needed. We focus on two possible strategies for treating ischemic stroke in this review. The first one is to enhance neuroplasticity, which allows the surviving neuronal cells to compensate for stroke-related impairment through brain reorganization, sprouting and rewiring of neuronal cells. The second one is neuronal regeneration therapy, which allows for the repair of disrupted neuronal networks with newly supplied neurons.